To be utterly fed up at the Doctors Surgery System?

[PinkFishies]

I’ve been trying to get in touch with my GP (NHS in England) due to having abnormal bleeding for a week now.

(I suspect I have Endo or PCOS or some other condition relating to gynea, but that’s another story)

We can’t book appointments in advance, we have to call the surgery on the day when phone lines open at 8:30am.

I work 8-4 Monday to Friday on a busy reception so it’s almost impossible to be free. Luckily today the reception was covered so I took myself to a quiet room to begin calling at 8:30.

I rang 131 times. I was met with the engaged tone every time. On my 132nd attempt after 40 minutes of trying I was put into a call queue. After 10/15 minutes of waiting the receptionist answered and told me “Unfortunately all slots are now fully booked. You will have to try again tomorrow morning”.

I just burst into tears. My issue isn’t something I can go to a walk in centre for. Or ring 111. I wouldn’t dare go to A&E but I can imagine a lot of people will do for certain things because seeing a GP is near impossible.

There is no point changing surgeries. All our surgeries in the local area sit under the same umbrella and all have the same system.

The system is utterly broken. I can’t see it getting any better. Nobody has the answers. Don’t have the money to go private. I really wish I did.

It's crap isn't it - its the same where I live unfortunately.

I think I've got a UTI (had one before, feels the same, same symptoms) and tried to order the 3-day course of antibiotics using the Boots online doctor system. Got a message back from the Pharmacist/Dr and hour later saying that they couldn't prescribe them because I didn't have enough symptoms for them to be sure (hadn't ticked enough of the boxes) and was advised to see my GP.

I'm only using the online service because I can't get an appointment to see or speak to a bloody GP!!!!! Aaarrrgggggg!!!!!

I'll tick every flipping box on the online questionnaire next time.

@HilaryBriss oh that is so shit 😞

I really don’t understand why we get advised to go to walk in centres or use online pharmacies when 90% of the time we get re-directed to GPs …who we can’t see.

Hope you get sorted! UTIs are brutal

im sure there is another couple of similar threads on here involving Endo/gynae abdominal problems and accessing GP and whether to go to A&e.

Ours (Cheshire) have two doctors who respond to submissions via an online portal. Questionnaire about symptoms, they send you a text message for photo link then call you. If they need to, you drop in and wait to see them. I emailed, was called and seen within half an hour last week.

Clearly I can never move.

Can you find a doctor with that kind of triage option? The Dr said between them they see 120 patients a day.

You have nothing but my sympathy.

I had a telephone appointment cancelled this week and booked for me a week later, but the text didn't give a time slot within which to expect the call. It took me 25 minutes in the middle of the afternoon to get through to the surgery. I was initially told they don't give times, but when I pressed them, because I said I was at work and needed to plan around a possible call, they relented and said between 9.00 am and 11.30 am.

I know that the NHS is under pressure, but we've reached a stage where patients are increasingly unable to access the system in the first place.

GP services are completely unusable in my area as well. My surgery requires you to submit an eConsult first. Then they will get back AT SOME POINT BEFORE 7 THE NEXT DAY. What if you're at work? Or driving? Or just on the toilet?? If you miss the call start again. And they don't offer emergency appointments at all. If you need to be seen same day for any reason its Urgent Care, A&E, or nothing. Completely shit. I recently had to pay almost £100 - which like most people we don't just have sitting about - to get my 7 year old seen privately for a severe middle ear infection which had caused hearing loss. GP don't do urgent, Urgent Care looked but said there was wax so they couldn't see the eardrum so nothing they could do. Basically if you're ill you're on your own.

Yup, it’s rubbish. I get a perforated eardrum from time to time. It’s not classified as an emergency by the GP and, like you, I wouldn’t dare to go to A&E. All I need is penicillin and the receptionist says ‘I can book you in for 10 days’. In the meantime I’ve got 10 days of agony to look forward to and the perforated eardrum has often sorted itself out by then so no penicillin is even required. Even worse, I have epilepsy and I once went into A&E after having 3 seizures. He examined my ear as I said it was sore and also took my temperature. He said that the perforated eardrum had probably raised my temperature due to the infection and may have caused the seizures. I had to take 3 weeks off work after that as I was so ill.

You could try an on-line GP option, someone like Livi or Babylon, they are cheaper than going to physically see a private GP and can issue scripts if needed.

www.boots.com/health-pharmacy-advice/general-services/online-gp

Whole family, including teen DD's now use on-line GP's.

Call 111 and if all else fails, go to A&E. What choice do you have ?.

Thanks I’ll have a search.

I’ve been to A&E a couple of times as a teen and my early 20’s due to unbearable pain and extremely heavy bleeding but have always been discharged with paracetamol after waiting hours. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to go now.

Does your surgery subscribe to a video app? Ours has LIVI and it's brilliant. I was worried about a breast lump and just wanted to see someone as quickly as possible. I had a call the same day, at a time of my choosing, described the symptoms and was referred immediately on the two week pathway. I'd really recommend it.

It's so awful though. I just don't understand it. At least round here it wasn't like this before covid. It's all changed since then. I keep hearing GPs are the busiest they've ever been. What's the change though? Have loads retired since the pandemic? Is it Brexit meaning loads have returned to Europe? I get that we have an aging population but that can't have massively changed in the last few years can it? And honestly I can't imagine they're being seen much at my GP anyway because how many 90 year olds could fill out an eConsult?

You shouldn't have to but is there anyone who can go to the drs as soon as they open and get you an appointment that way? I worked in a surgery for years and loads of people did it to bypass the queues

Have you tried a pre bookable nurse appointment? Better than nothing for now. Mine is hard work seeing a GP but I can usually get in to see the nurse within a day or two. Those appointments are available on the Patient Access app in my area.

That sounds like a really great system! I wouldn’t want to move either😂

Unfortunately all surgeries within a 10 mile radius to me all use the telephone on the day at opening time system. I have no idea how many patients my surgery has on the books but I’m sure it’s around 300-500.

You have my sympathy. I use econsult to ask for referrals and prescription repeats instead of appointments.

I needed to see gp to check son for ringworm he is 9. They gave me a phone appt! Got the prescription through describing the rash. I refuse to pay for kids prescriptions as it should be covered.

Baby needed checking and 111 said gp needs to give me an appt. Gp surgery refused and said call at 8am next day and hope to get an emergency appt. My only other option was a&e. They used to do 2 hour kids clinics twice a week first come first served which was great. No longer do them.

If i was you I'd put in a complaint to gp manager, only way i got anywhere when they were refusing me adequate care while pregnant.

Yeah if we’re lucky enough to be allocated an appointment they could call us anytime between 9:00am - 5:00pm, if we miss it we have to try to get another appointment the next day.

That’s shocking they couldn’t get your 7 year old in. 😞

I hear you, I really do. I considered the other night when I was in agony. But in reality it’s not an accident or emergency (I need re-referring to gynae). I’d feel awful sat there for hours waiting.

Does your GP have e-consult on their website?

I find it to be the quickest way to get through. They normally email me back with either a telephone or face to face appointment pretty quickly.

Getting through on the phone for an appointment is just impossible so I don’t even try now.

@MintyGreenDreams unfortunately we’re unable to book face to face at the surgery. Everything has to be done via the telephone. It was posted on our town’s local Facebook group a couple of months ago that an elderly gentleman had tried to book and he was told to go home and telephone the next day.

@user1474315215 no, we don’t have anything like that unfortunately. Though it sounds amazing, really glad you were able to been seen quick, I bet that was a relief x

@CravingCamembert @alloalloallo unfortunately no e-Consult. It’s so old fashioned. We have PatientAccess but all we can do on there is order repeat prescriptions, see our notes and read leaflets. All contact has to be via the telephone.

@Jyn I can only pre-book with the nurses for a contraceptive pill-check or a smear. Everything else is telephone on the day.

Is there a complaints system?

I would take a day off work and go in at 0830 and ring them 132 times while standing in front of them.

I would then refuse to leave until I had an appointment.

Our once brilliant surgery is crap now. You phone at 8.30 and if you eventually speak to someone you’ll be told the doctor will call you within 72 hours.
If he calls you get quizzed and if he deems it necessary will tell you to get an appointment, so you phone up and hope someone will answer again.
If you’re lucky you might get an appointment within 3 weeks.
It’s no wonder at all that people just go to A&E.
If you see one particular doctor he’ll send you down there anyway so maybe you might as go at the beginning 🤬

It’s broken across the country.

I tried for 3 days to call my GP Surgery. When I did get through, I was advised I can’t speak to a GP until next Friday afternoon.

I have a scar tissue build up underneath/inside my C section scar, enough to cause pain, tenderness etc. Not a life threatening issue but I am in constant pain with it but can’t discuss this with my GP for approx 2 weeks.

The entire system is a joke.

Our surgery make really good use of the online consultation forms. You just get a text back if they can deal with it by sending off a referral or prescription, or they ring you or ask for more info via an online portal. It's always within a couple of days.

Prebookable appointments are laughable though, I looked at the weekend and there's none before the schools break up! I'm meant to have a blood test at the GP before receiving a drug from the hospital but the only possible appointments are after the drug date! Luckily the hospital sorted it.

The whole thing seems v reliant on you having the tech and knowledge to use it, and having the energy and self esteem to stand up for your needs. Many people must be left to suffer because they can't work the system or are too ill or vulnerable to push for what they need. The implications for safeguarding are unthinkable.

It's like trying to get an audience with the pope, accessing a doctor's appointment where I am. Utterly fed up with it. My friend's child ended up in hospital having surgery after their GP diagnosed him by phone rather than bring him in and actually look at him. She spent two mornings trying to get through to the GP surgery, then finally got through on the third day, only to end up with a critically ill child. The surgeon told her the issue would have been resolved with a prompt physical examination, leading to a course of strong antibiotics.

Hope you get sorted soon. Awful situation to be in